Piper PA31 accident near Enumclaw, Washington, November 29, 1990
On November 29, 1990 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Piper PA31, registered N13UW, was destroyed in an accident near Enumclaw, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATIONS, AND POOR INFLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISIONS. THE PILOT ELECTED TO FLY INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND DID NOT CALCULATE FUEL CONSUMPTION FOR THE PLANNED FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1990 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Enumclaw, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31 · all PA31s on the register
- Registration
- N13UW · registry record · serial 31-512
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT FAILED TO PLAN FOR THE EFFECTS OF KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER, INCLUDING STRONG WINDS ALOFT AND MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. THE PILOT OVERFLEW SEVERAL POSSIBLE FUEL STOPS, CONTINUING ON TOWARD THE DESTINATION UNTIL THE FUEL WAS EXHAUSTED. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH HEAVILY WOODED TERRAIN AFTER THE LOSS OF POWER TO BOTH ENGINES.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 638 hours in all; 559 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 482 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVU Provo UT at 2:43 pm
- Destination: PAE Everett WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 pm from BOE, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA91FA025.